Bombers, Hawks to face 27 charges

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The violent brawl during last Saturday's clash between Essendon and Hawthorn will result in a long and potentially costly night for both clubs, with 18 players to face a total of 27 charges at the AFL tribunal tonight.

And the roll of dishonour from the bitter, sniping battle may be extended, with the AFL investigating allegations that Hawthorn's Nick Holland choked Bomber Mark Johnson during the wild melee in the third quarter.

Regardless of the results of that investigation, tonight's hearing is a major embarrassment for the AFL, which is this week celebrating its role in the community. The continued spotlight the hearing will put on the bloody scenes from Saturday is hardly the message the league is hoping to send to its vast family market.

The 27 charges are the most to be brought from a single AFL game, exceeding the 20 reports laid after a melee during the match between St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs last year. Players from those sides were fined a total of $67,500.

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Saturday's scenes were much more violent. Eighteen players, nine from each team, were charged with engaging in a melee, an offence that usually attracts a fine. But six of those players will face at least one other more serious charge brought after the investigation, by the video reporting officer or the umpires.

Hawthorn's Richard Vandenberg (striking and kneeing), Lance Picioane (striking), Campbell Brown (striking and wrestling), Simon Beaumont (striking and headbutting) and John Barker (striking), as well as Essendon's Justin Murphy (headbutting) have all been booked.

One of the busiest men on the game's night of shame will be Essendon's Adam McPhee, who left the ground bloodied and clearly angry after the brawl. As well as being booked for his role in the melee, McPhee will appear as the alleged victim three times - in striking and kneeing charges against Vandenberg and a striking charge against Picioane.

Hawthorn director and commentator Dermott Brereton, who has been criticised for inciting the brawl since admitting that he had urged several Hawthorn players to draw a "line in the sand" at half-time, yesterday took a swipe at the Bombers.

After reports Hawthorn's Holland had strangled Johnson during the brawl so severely that the Bomber midfielder had made a "gurgling sound", Brereton said - seemingly facetiously - that he did not believe details of the alleged strangling had come from Essendon. "I could not believe that a club like Essendon would stoop to that," Brereton said.

Several players from both sides are believed to have been obscure and evasive in the evidence given to AFL investigations officer Rick Lewis, typical of the so-called code of silence that usually stops players from rival clubs dobbing in opponents.

However, Brereton's comment typifies the strong feeling between the clubs, whose rivalry goes back to the 1980s when the Bombers and Hawks were powerful adversaries.

Both clubs have privately pointed the finger at the other for starting the brawl. Hawthorn players were angered by a tackle by Johnson in the first half on ruckman Robert Campbell that Brereton has compared to a rugby league-style spear tackle. The Bombers have highlighted Hawthorn's aggression after half-time.

Having lost the match by 74 points, Hawthorn also have the most to lose at the tribunal. Should the five players on serious charges be suspended, the bottom-placed Hawks will be struggling to field a team for their match against Carlton on Friday night.

Midfielder Sam Mitchell and Holland were both injured on Saturday and captain Shane Crawford and defender Mark Graham have injuries already.

Collingwood are almost certain to appeal against the two-match suspension of star forward Chris Tarrant.

Tarrant was last night found guilty of striking West Coast defender Trent Carroll. He is set to miss Monday's match against Melbourne and the clash with Sydney at Telstra Stadium on June 26.

And Port Adelaide's Stuart Cochrane will miss Sunday's clash against Sydney after he was found guilty of striking.